Nikki Giovanni, Charlie XCX and Jay- Z Oh We Gotta Talk About This
Nikki Giovanni – How To Make It in Poetry
Nikki Giovanni is one of the greatest living poets in the world and she is a joy to be around. She’s funny, smart, humble, and very cool. She’s the best dinner guest imaginable. Since she’s recently announced her retirement from teaching let’s throwback to this hour plus conversation about what makes a great poem, the impact of watching domestic violence in her childhood home, how she rebounded from a health scare by getting onstage, how she learned to cry and why she feels she needs to go into outer space.
So...We Gotta Talk About JAY Z
This latest accusation has everyone talking. In this video, we break down the details of the claim, explore its potential impact, and deal with the unfortunate mess.
AWC+
On this episode, Aries and Andy talk about Elvis, Andrew Schultze, gay son or whore daughter, Madden, Andy, what's the song!, Weak Minded Broken Broad, football, You's a got dang foo, Tyson fight, music, Club Shea Shea, a beef with the south, and movies vs. stage.
Challengers, Cheeks and Charli XCX (with Michael Cuby)
This week, Hunter and Peyton talk about the bland, boring beauty that is Sofia Richie, run through their best and worst lists for 2024, and chat about the shocking new lawsuit filed against Jay Z. And for Wondery Plus subscribers, Azealia Banks is back and better than ever in her new feud with Matty Healy.
USA VS HIP HOP EP. 7
In hip hop, the end of the 80s ushered in a thriving music industry, with hip hop, diversifying itself immensely. In 1990 alone, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, D Nice, Special Ed, LL Cool J, Vanilla Ice, and EPMD all had seminal releases. These artists would start to define the trajectory of hip hop music as it invaded white suburbs and penetrated the minds of American political thought as hip hop started to gain in popularity. The traumatic events inside the crack epidemic and the war on drugs resulted with draconian drug sentences, and most of the major drug kingpins facing huge life sentences or death. The crack trade that spawned 1000s of corner millionaires was now coming home to roost, and its path of destruction was young men and women just out of their teenage years, being shipped to federal and state jails for 30 year and two life sentences.
What Nikki Giovanni Taught Us About Resistance, Community, and Collective Liberation
Throwback Spotlight
Ghostface Killah – I Am Tony Stark
Ghostface Killah is one of the greatest MCs of all time and an old friend. Amazing convo about music, the Wu, and where he’s at in life.
Sophie Santos is a One Woman Show
Sophie Santos was just a kid when she saw Lindsay Lohan in “The Parent Trap” and thought, I can do that. Now she’s an accomplished comedian, writer, and actor, whose one-woman show, “Sophie Santos…is Codependent,” is now playing in Edinburgh, which finds her confronting her personified OCD after a break-up.
What We Are Loving
Ryan Woodhall
I’m listening to Rumble Strip, Erica Hellman’s podcast where she speaks with citizens from rural Vermont and the Northeast about the issues they are facing - from highly localized farm troubles to national politics. The sound of the show is both cozy and muted, leveraging the natural acoustics of barns and the snowy outdoors.
Fun Fact
The voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married in real life.
Story From History
This week in history: On December 12, 1963, Kenya declared their independence from Britain. Their independence day is now known as Jamhuri Day.